My Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

It’s hard to beat a vanilla cupcake. There is something about the simplicity of vanilla that makes it almost elegant. And sometimes we just crave the simple things in life, such as the perfect simplicity of biting into a sweet, soft vanilla cupcake smothered in buttercream frosting.

You are going to love these cupcakes. I am serious when I say this vanilla cupcake recipe is my favourite. They are just everything a cupcake should be, light, soft, and sweet. You can top them with whatever frosting you prefer, but for me all they need is a simple vegan vanilla buttercream topped with sprinkles – because everything is more fun with sprinkles!

Chances are you have everything you need to whip up a batch of these little cakes ready to go in your pantry. They are so simple and easy to make, and did I mention extremely delicious? So really you don’t have any excuses not to make these cakes!

I make these cupcakes a lot. Whenever I have an occasion that calls for some baking such as a birthday, work lunch, or just a general need for cake, I make these. They can be made so quickly, and often I will bake them the night before and on the day make the frosting to finish them off. Although, everything can be done the day before you need them, just keep them in a cool location in an airtight container. These cakes are best consumed within 2-3 days, but let’s be honest, they wouldn’t really last longer that that!

This recipe uses alternatives to the usual butter and milk making them lactose free so that I can devour them. That is one of the reasons I started baking again after I found out it was lactose that was making me sick, as it has allowed me to enjoy the foods that I cannot just go out and buy. In all of my cooking I use Nuttelex Lite in place of butter. I think it gives a great flavour and seems to work the same as butter, and it isn’t oily like margarine which is a big bonus. I also use use unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Whatever your need for cake is, these sweet little vanilla cupcakes are perfect and will be a guaranteed hit for any occasion.

Using 2 tablespoons, spoon mixture into patty cases. Bake in oven for 18 mins at 180 or until cakes spring back when lightly touched.

For The Basic Vanilla Frosting

Beat dairy-free spread with an electric mixer adding in icing mixture ¼ cup at a time. Make sure all icing mixture has been combined completely before adding in the next bit.

When about half of the icing sugar has been combined, add in the milk. This will make the frosting a smoother consistency.

Once all icing mixture has been combined with the dairy-free spread and you have a smooth and creamy consistency, add in vanilla and food colouring if desired. I added a few drops of pink to give this frosting a soft pastel colouring.

Spoon frosting into a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!

Notes

*I use Nuttelex Lite to replace butter in most of my recipes as it is vegan and gives a 'buttery' flavour without being greasy. As this is an Australian product, the closest US alternative I believe is Earth Balance. Otherwise any dairy-free spread will work.

A note on the milk: These can be made with any milk you choose. I prefer to use vanilla almond milk in my cupcakes but I have used regular almond milk, lactose-free, and soy and they all work perfectly.